Pass it on
On April 25, I was driving from Burlington, Vt., to visit friends in Durham. As I approached South Paris my car began to act strangely and, in South Paris, it stopped completely.
As I contemplated this problem, a pickup truck pulled up behind me. Instead of an impatient or angry gesture, the driver got out of his truck and, along with a young boy, we pushed the car into a nearby parking lot.
Another car stopped to see what was the matter, but it was obvious the car needed to be towed. A man walked over from a nearby building and offered to let me use his cell phone and then an indoor phone to call the towing service.
The tow truck was there in 25 minutes.
This was not a life-threatening situation, but because of the willingness of several people to help out a stranger, my unpleasant situation was made much more bearable.
I thank those South Paris people. When I next get a chance, I will help a stranger out and I will think of South Paris when I do.
Such good spirit should be encouraged and passed on.
Gary Steller, Burlington, Vt.
Real success
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with Operation Shoebox. The list of names and businesses is too long to mention each individually.
Thank you for the money donations of more than $250 and the many bags of supplies.
Thank you also to the students and classes who contributed time and materials.
We have sent boxes to more than 25 servicepeople.
To all of you who came forward to help, thank you for your support and words of encouragement. Because of your overwhelming efforts, Operation Shoebox was a success.
Judy Powell, representative
Region 9, Rumford
Maine respect
Maine landowners share a strong tradition of allowing the public to use their properties for outdoor recreation. This tradition is not found in many other parts of the country and is yet another value that makes this state a very special place to live.
The South Paris Snow Hoppers Snowmobile Club publicly thanks all the landowners in the town of Paris who allow us to enjoy the outdoors through their generosity, by giving us permission to use their properties for our snowmobile trails. We appreciate the landowners’ cooperation as the sport of snowmobiling continues to grow.
All that the landowners expect in return is that those using their properties show respect for the owner and for the land.
Peter Bickford, president
South Paris Snow Hoppers,
South Paris
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